This May, Netflix started blocking rooted and unlocked devices from downloading the company's app on Google Play. It was an unfortunate restriction that locked out many people and stirred up a lot of anger. Over the last week, some of us at AP have started noticing the app reappearing, even though our devices still don't pass SafetyNet/Google Play device certification.

Earlier today, Netflix started showing up as 'incompatible' on the Play Store for rooted and unlocked Android devices. However, the app itself continued to work fine, leading some (including myself) to think it could have been an accident. However, Netflix has now confirmed to us that blocking modified devices from downloading the app was intentional.

If you're taking care of a little one and updates to the YouTube Kids app are actually opportunities for excitement, you've probably been feeling a little let down by the last few version bumps. It's not that anybody really needs it to keep up with the likes of Google Maps or the core YouTube app, but a few big features are surely welcome. This version isn't actually packed with anything notably new for users today, but it brings promises of some things to come. A teardown shows that kids will be able to enjoy videos in VR and parents will be able to block videos and channels right from within the app.

We've hit that point in the year where Google's apps tend to feature smaller improvements and knock off some of the smaller to-do items. Yesterday's Google Photos update is no different. The latest version gives users the ability to ban individuals from shared albums and puts a link to the local image removal tool right in the navigation drawer. A teardown also shows we can look forward to a simple video stabilization feature and possible more video editing capabilities in the future.

Just like with paper mail, some senders can't help but screw with a good thing. Alongside letters from sweethearts and loved ones, you have unsolicited offers from who knows what. And you seemingly run the risk of getting added to a mailing list every time you sign up for a new site.

To keep users from giving up and walking away from their webmail for good, Gmail has made a strong effort to filter out spam and help users keep only the mail they want to see in their inbox. Now Gmail is going to provide even more control. Users will soon have the option to block users they never want to receive messages from again.

Late last year, Gmail started showing images by default in a way that Google says doesn't compromise general security. Now Yahoo has released an update for its Android mail app that does precisely the opposite. Now those pesky images are blocked by default (or is the story here... that they weren't already?).

The option to toggle this is tucked away in the app settings, so there's nothing stopping users from going back to living wild and free.

Images aside, Yahoo Mail 3.1 improves on how the app handles contacts. Now when composing a message, it should more intelligently rank the contacts it suggests.

For a root user, there's nothing more frustrating than being denied access to an app simply because they've rooted their own phone or tablet. Of course, since it's rooted, there's probably a root app for that. RootCloak has been a reliable way to get around these content and functionality blocks, and now developer DevAdvance has posted a new version that should work with even more applications.

RootCloak Plus uses Cydia Substrate instead of the Xposed Framework that the original tool was based on. According to the developer, Cydia has access to deeper integration within Android via native calls, letting it successfully bypass root detection on even more apps.

Last week the NFL released a shiny new version of its official Android app. There were some nice additions, like a much-improved interface and some team tracking features. Oh, and it unceremoniously kicked rooted users to the bench, not even allowing them to check scores. Considering that at least some of them had paid Verizon or a cable provider for access to live streaming video, they were justifiably upset.

It looks like the update to version 8.1.1 has quietly removed the root check, allowing power users to access the app without issue. There's no mention of rooted or modified device support in the sparse change log, but we've confirmed that rooted phones on multiple carriers are now running the app without incident.

Hey, NFL Mobile developers. We need to talk. I'm glad you decided to drop the yearly re-title from your app - that's one less thing you'll have to do every summer. But the number after three is four. Four. The one right before five. Now I know decimals can be tricky, but I honestly have no idea what caused you to jump from app version 3.7 to 8.0.26 - next time, show your work.